Fm(maj7) F minor-major seventh chord
- Notes
- F Ab C E
- Formula
- 1 b3 5 7
- Semitones
- 0 3 7 11 above the root
- Other symbols
- FmM7, Fm(Δ7), Fmin(maj7)
F to Ab is a minor third (3 semitones), Ab to C is a major third (4 semitones), C to E is a major third (4 semitones). A minor triad with a major seventh, E, a half step below the root. The minor third Ab and the major seventh make an augmented triad (Ab C E) inside the chord, which gives it its tense, suspenseful sound.
Fm(maj7) on the piano
Root position from F4: F4, Ab4, C5, E5. Middle C is C4.
Fm(maj7) on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has F as its lowest note.
1 x 2 1 1 x (low E to high e)
Sounds F2 E3 Ab3 C4
x 8 10 9 9 8 (low E to high e)
Sounds F3 C4 E4 Ab4 C5
The E-shape and A-shape grips are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play minor-major seventh chords on other roots.
Inversions of Fm(maj7)
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | F Ab C E | Fm(maj7) | |
| 1st inversion | Ab C E F | Fm(maj7)/Ab | |
| 2nd inversion | C E F Ab | Fm(maj7)/C | |
| 3rd inversion | E F Ab C | Fm/E (also read as Fm(maj7)/E) |
Where Fm(maj7) fits
Fm(maj7) is i(maj7) in F minor. Most often it is a passing chord in the descending line Fm → Fm(maj7) → Fm7 → Fm6, where one voice falls a half step at a time from F. The first four bars of the jazz standard "My Funny Valentine" (Cm, Cm(maj7), Cm7, Cm6 in C minor) are exactly that line.